


Perseids

by kascaboota



Category: RWBY
Genre: F/F, Fluff, Summer Rose Court, in which ruby remembers that meteor showers are A Thing and she can't not show penny
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-15
Updated: 2018-08-15
Packaged: 2019-06-27 21:09:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,180
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15693423
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kascaboota/pseuds/kascaboota
Summary: In the aftermath of all that's happened, Ruby makes some time to bring Penny to see a meteor shower.





	Perseids

**Author's Note:**

> inspired by summer rose court! it's literally been 3 years since I've had the motivation to write anything, but by god this game Got Me Good. penny's route is one of the ones that resonated with me most, so here's a contribution in the form of fluff!

I sift my fingers through the grass, idly tugging at the strands as they catch in the cracks between each digit. It's so quiet here that I can hear the rhythmic whirring of Penny's heartbeat without straining my ears. It's oddly comforting, and a rare indulgence. What a precious commodity it is, after all; escaping from the constant expectations that follow me throughout the city- and what a joy it is to share it with her.

As my thoughts shift to Penny, I turn my head up, curious. We've been watching the sky in silence for a while now, taking in the strokes of light as they pass overhead. Her eyes, bright as I've ever seen them, watch in astonishment. I can't help but smile fondly as her gaze flicks down to meet mine. Her cheeks flush a bit and she mirrors my smile before glancing upward again.

"This is... incredible." Her voice echoes the awe of her eyes. "I already love looking at the sky. The stars are so beautiful. But to think they do this, too? What a lovely surprise!" A giggle escapes me. Penny's enthusiasm still catches me off-guard sometimes, but it's impossible not to admire her unabashed wonder. It's one of the things I love most about her: despite her terrible losses, the abuse and abandonment, several lifetimes worth of isolation- unspeakable tortures that could have made anyone feel justly bitter and jaded- she still holds on to a passion for life I've yet to see anyone else match.

"I'm glad you like it, Penny. I've been excited to show you since it came up! Honestly, I forgot how nice it is to sit out and watch them. It's been years, now, I think." She snakes her arms around my sides to squeeze me from behind, and I place my hands over hers, relishing the contact.

"Thank you for taking the time to bring me here. I know you've been very busy lately, and that you might not be.. quite as excited about this sort of thing as I am. So I really do appreciate you going out of your way to share this with me." I turn in her arms and poke her on the nose playfully, earning a silly crosseyed expression from her.

"Saying it like that makes it sound like I wouldn't enjoy this! Really, I'm just happy to finally have some time to spend alone with you. It feels like I've barely had a minute to think, with all the diplomacy stuff between planes I need to take care of, working out solutions and reparations with the faunus, repairs and rebuilding from all the recent Grimm attacks still being underway..."

I feel my chest beginning to tighten at the thought so I take a deep breath to calm myself rather than continue, letting my head rest against Penny's shoulder. Silently, she raises a hand to stroke my head soothingly, drawing another deep sigh from my chest as I lean into it. Her touch grounds me enough to remember the better side of everything happening lately. "Sorry. What I was trying to get at is that, with all that's going on still, I think I really need this, too." I feel her shake her head vigorously.

"Please don't apologize! If there's something weighing on your mind, I want to be here for you. I care about you very much, and I want to help ease your burdens when I can. I owe you that m- no, I _want_ to do that much for you," she quickly corrects herself. I feel her lean forward to press a kiss to the top of my head. A lump immediately presents itself in my throat, catching me off guard. I try to swallow it back, but instead I find a little sob escaping me. Penny draws me in closer, holding me while I let myself cry.

_Where on Earth did this come from?_

But the realization hits me now: I've not been allowing myself any time to process all of the changes and stresses since I got here. True, that I've thought about them in evenings spent alone in the dark- but those were hours spent in restless anxiety and dread more than anything else. It's all gone so fast that it only occurs to me whenever the dams finally break. Racking my brain, I recall that the last time I let myself cry like this was when I went to talk to dad about the ley lines. And even then, it was short-lived, shadowed by negotiations, and laden with embarrassment that it ever happened to begin with.

No wonder I feel so overwhelmed, now. I suppose this was a long time coming.

"Do you want to go back to the castle, Ruby?" Her voice brings me out of my thoughts. Sniffling, I shake my head.

"No, not really. If anything, I want to stay here longer than we probably should." A soft chuckle from her. Calm enough to speak again, I wipe at the wetness in my eyes.

"Understandable. It really i-" she cuts off, brows furrowed. I'm about to ask what happened when she removes her hand from my head to pluck away blade of grass, which had apparently stuck to my cheek. "You left a little something behind, there." She holds it up to show me, getting a surprised laugh out of me.

"Looks like it." An idea hits me then, like a sudden surge of excitement. It might be silly, but I've kind of wanted to try this for a while. "Actually- can I see that for a second?" That gives her pause.

"The... grass? Um, sure!" She hands it to me inquisitively, and I promptly stretch it between my thumbs, cupping them to an 0 shape with the grass cutting perfectly down the middle. Penny cranes her head to watch me, and I blow into the little hole I created. It takes a couple tries, during which she only seems more and more confused, when finally-

!!!

She bolts further upright in surprise, eyes widening.

"Oh! You made a noise!" I laugh triumphantly, pumping a fist into the air.

"Yes! Do you want to try?" I offer her the blade and she takes it quickly as an answer. She assumes the same pose with her hands as I did, pulling the grass taut between her thumbs. Pleased with the arrangement, she blows into the grass to no immediate avail. A few tries in, she looks a bit disappointed.

"Mm, how did you do it again? I thought you held it like-" She cuts herself off, adjusting her hands and blowing again. Sure enough, a high pitched trill squeaks out from between her palms. Immediately we both burst into laughter, and she covers her mouth with a hand. "I'm sorry, that was a little loud." More peals of laughter escape from her, contagious as ever. "Where did you learn that from though? I thought you grew up in the desert?"

"Oh! Um, I saw the kids doing it, the last time I visited Menagerie! I think I told you already, but visiting the school there has kind of become... a thing?" She nods, prompting me to go on. "Anyway, they taught me! Well, not directly... I... wasn't really sure how appreciated it would be if I joined them since it was already pretty darn loud." The mental image of a deeply displeased Velvet conjures itself in my head. Despite making progress in Menagerie, I'm still likely on thin enough ice there without acting visibly childish in front of her. Best to avoid potential insult, at least for now. "Some of them were even able to play little songs with it though! I think it had something to do with the hand shape they made, but it was hard to tell."

It really is nice to forget about keeping up a certain look now and then. Even with all the formalities that I insist on forgoing, there's still a constant pressure to present myself as a leader. That obligation is a little less, among my court members, but it still feels like I can't always act like myself. I have to maintain some sense of dignity. I have to be the strong one, even when my knees want to buckle.

But of course, Penny's an exception to all of that that.

She tries her hand at the grass again, blowing fruitlessly until she finally gets a pathetic little toot out of the makeshift instrument. It sounds almost mournful, as if it resents being the butt of our jokes. Her laughter this time escalates to a snort, which immediately has her cheeks tinted a very visible green. Trying to hold in my own laugh at that is impossible.

"Oh no, I- nooo, stop!" She breathlessly pleads through the laughter, covering her face again.

"I think this is the first time I've ever heard you do that?? Oh my god," I scarcely manage between fits of giggles. Penny crushes me into her chest, burying her face in my hair and emitting a small groan of protest, still shaking with her own barely suppressed laughter.

"This is very uncalled for. I request an apology and compensation for the terrible psychological damage you have brought upon me." I put my hands on her shoulders, pushing a little.

"Hmm... I might consider it, if you release me from your dastardly clutches," I joke back. She lets me go and folds her arms at me with a mock stern face.

"Well? What have you to say for yourself, fiend?" With a dramatic flourish, I bow as best as I can in such close quarters.

"My deepest apologies for acting so inconsiderately. It was hardly befitting of me to behave in such a thoughtless manner. Please allow me to make amends." We're both fighting smiles now, determined not to be the first to break character.

"And how, pray tell, do you intend to do that?" She feigns a skeptical expression, but we both know what she's fishing for by now.

"If I may?" I reach a hand up to cup her cheek, leaning in so that our foreheads touch. We're close enough that I can feel her breath ghosting my lips while I wait for permission. Finally, she cracks a grin, leaving me unable to contain my own.

"Well... I suppose I can allow it. Just this once. But future transgressions may not be so easily forgiven!" I laugh again, and my lips feather against hers as I respond.

"I'll certainly keep that in mind." We share a slow kiss, soft and sweet. I stroke her cheek with my thumb, and she smiles into it, causing us to knock teeth for a moment. The resulting giggles are a struggle to hold a kiss through, but somehow we manage for a few moments more. On parting, I playfully rub noses with her.

"We're both the epitome of grace tonight, aren't we?"

"Oh, absolutely. Only the utmost dignity, exactly as expected from my her Majesty, my Queen." I pull away a bit, putting an indignant hand on my hip.

"Gross. Gross!! Don't say it like that." More soft laughter from Penny, followed by a content sigh.

"On a more serious note. How are you feeling now, Ruby?" She reaches for my face, affectionately brushing a strand of hair from my eyes. I catch her hand in mine before she pulls it away and I turn my head to press a kiss to her palm.

"Better. Much better." She smiles at me warmly, and my heart leaps for a moment at the fondness in her eyes.

"Good. I'm glad to hear that." She retracts her hand, so I turn my back to her again, leaning into her as her arms curl back around me. As she rests her chin on my head, a comfortable silence begins to envelop us. After a time, it occurs to me to look back to the sky. It's not long before I catch another glimpse of a shooting star.

"Hey, Ruby?" Her voice is a pleasant rumble behind my ears.

"Mm?"

"Do you think... we can come watch this again, next year?" A smile takes over my face at the thought. It had occurred to me to propose this again in the future, but I'm glad she's eager enough to ask before we even leave.

"I'd love to."

"I love _you_ ," she quickly fires back.

"Ohh, trying to be smooth now to save some face?" I tease.

"Maybe!" A sharp reply. To my amusement, I can't tell how much of her tone is real or feigned indignation.

"I love you too, though." A longer silence takes hold now, punctuated only by cricketsong and breath. It's lovely and comfortable, giving me a peace I've not felt since this all began. We stay like this for quite some time, quietly soaking in each others presence while we admire the night sky above us. Eventually, I know we'll need to return to the castle, but tonight- for once- I don't mind losing sleep.

**Author's Note:**

> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qc9Zc2g9D94
> 
> this is just in case the grass whistle thing was unclear, or for anybody who's not heard of it and wants to give it a try! <:


End file.
